My First Bird!

I always watch cooking shows like the Barefoot Contessa and marvel at how Ina is able to make entire roasted chickens that look so delicious, effortlessly! I never in a million years thought I'd have the skills, or patience, to make a meal like that. Guess what. I was wrong! Recently, I decided to cook my first real Shabbat dinner... and what says "traditional Shabbat food" more than a golden roasted chicken? After a conversation with my butcher and the purchase of a four pound bird, I was ready to get cooking! Turns out it wasn't as difficult and even tastier than I had imagined!

Ingredients

4 lb chicken

1/2 bottle red cooking wine

3 tbsp butter

salt and pepper

bunch of thyme (or rosemary)

bunch of tarragon

6 garlic cloves

3 carrots, cut into chunks

1/2 white onion, cut into chunks

fingerling potatoes

Start by cutting the carrots, onions and potatoes into chunks and spreading them around a large baking dish. While you do this, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Place the chicken in the middle of the baking dish. Take the butter and rub it all over the chicken. Then take salt and pepper and sprinkle all over, to season. Stick 3/4 of the herbs inside the chicken cavity and place the remaining herbs on top. (This will give the chicken a lot of flavor!) Also pop a couple of the garlic cloves inside the cavity and place the rest among the vegetables. Lastly, pour half the bottle of red cooking wine in the pan and, though I didn't do this,add about a cup of chicken broth as well.

Lower the oven to 325 degrees and cook the chicken for about two hours (I was told about 1/2 hour cooking time per pound of chicken). I basted the chicken about every 30 minutes which means I took it out of the oven and with a spoon, collected the surrounding liquids and poured them over the chicken to retain its moisture. When the chicken looks golden brown, remove it from the oven and let it sit for ten minutes before digging in!